It didn't seem like a critical moment when Purdue senior Jon Octeus went to the bench with 76 second left in Wednesday's first half at Illinois.

Purdue was already down one starter due to Kendall Stephens' finger injury. When Octeus picked up his second foul, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter sat his starting point guard to avoid a third.

But Purdue's worst-case scenario played out from there. Illinois turned two Boilermaker turnovers and an offensive rebound into seven points. A six-point Purdue lead turned into a two-point Illini lead, a pivotal sequence in Illinois' eventual 66-57 victory.

Painter remembers from his own playing experience how difficult it can be to come into a game cold and contribute. But Purdue's starters minutes continue to expand as Painter searches for a trust factor from his second string.

"I believe in those guys," Painter said. "But it's one of those things where you've got to win the game.

"They're in a lot different roles than they're used to, but they're capable of playing better. Can they be productive in the role they're in? That's what we need to find out."

Early this season, Purdue's minutes were more balanced. That has shifted drastically in Big Ten Conference play, with Octeus, Rapheal Davis, Kendall Stephens and Vince Edwards all regularly playing 30-plus minutes.

Sophomore forward Basil Smotherman and freshman guard P.J. Thompson played one minute apiece in an overtime win at Penn State. Bryson Scott played three that day and one against Illinois.

Painter has bluntly said he's using the minutes where they're most effective. For players accustomed to extended playing time earlier this season, let alone earlier in their career, it's a tough adjustment.

"It's hurtful when you don't get your minutes — I'm going to be real," said Smotherman, who started half of Purdue's 32 games as a freshman. "You have to just have a positive mindset, stand up and cheer ... don't ever let anyone see you down.

"When you come in, he called you so you have to come in and make the best of it. If it's one minute, two minutes, five minutes, 15 minutes — you have to make the best of that time."

Dakota Mathias was recently in the same situation. But when Davis met foul trouble at Penn State, Mathias responded with seven points, four assists and no turnovers in 23 minutes. With Stephens sidelined against Illinois, he played 28 minutes — 19 in the second half — and hit a pair of 3-pointers.

Mathias has provided what Painter says Purdue needs most from its bench: steadiness.

"It's tough to get going at the start of a game sometimes," said Mathias, who started two games earlier this season. "There's a lot of emotion, a lot of different things going on. To have people come in off the bench and be calm — just making the simple plays, hitting the open shots, finding the open guy — that can go a long way for a team."

Thompson felt he played well overall in his eight minutes at Illinois, mostly giving Octeus a breather at point guard. But he knows his lone turnover during that rough end to the first half loomed large.

He said his bench role and sporadic minutes are just part of the freshman learning process.

"When you're playing 15, 10 minutes, whatever I'm playing, you've got to be on it," Thompson said. "You can't make a lot of those mistakes. Coach Painter trusts me and he feels I'm a good enough player to not make those mistakes in that amount of time. But I respect him and I'm definitely learning from it."